Nobody in Pakistan, not even the citizens of Islamabad will find solace in the news that Islamabad Police has inaugurated a Citizen and Police Centre. Nobody is raising hopes high that after the setting of the centre the police will stop mistreating the poor citizens or favouring the more affluent party in incidents of crimes committed and FIRs filed.
The hoax has been played too many times to fool anybody.
Every major city, district, tehsil and even towns had in the country, some even have now, such committees and centres at one or another time and in spite of that the police arrested the innocent, beat them to pulp and forced them into confessing to crimes that they had not committed. If the arrested men and women were poor and could not bribe the concerned cops or knew nobody influential to back them up, they were, and are, tortured no matter how good the members of a toothless committee to coordinate efforts with police were. The presence of such committees and centres not withstanding; gambling dens, drug trade went on openly, and goes on even now, drug peddlers sell the poison even near police stations. Robberies, thefts, murders, rapes, abductions, batha mafias and the victim businessmen have existed side by side along with such committees and centres. If anything, these bodies are just public relation ploys by the department that wants to thwart any effort of the government in the direction of creating bodies of civilians who can supervise the police department and make sure that the officials stick strictly to the law when dealing with crimes and criminals, as well as the innocent.
From the citizens point of view these committees and centres, even if citizens are included in these, are toothless and cannot put the powerful and corrupt law enforcing agencies on the right path.
As far as Islamabad goes, the suggestions and proposals below are for the consideration of the country's Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar, as he is responsible for the law and order of the capital. We also, nonetheless, request the home ministers of the provinces that if they want to improve the performance of police in their respective provinces, they should also consider our suggestions.
1) We should also take into account that the internal system of discipline has completely failed in all the provincial and capital police departments. 2) The police departments were organised by our British rulers not to serve the people but to intimidate them and force the masses into submission to the government run by the English. We are still clinging to the ancient police system in the impossible hope that the individuals who are part of police will find it in their heart to serve and not torture their fellow citizens. 3) The departments comprise mostly corrupt individuals from top to bottom. 4) Our police is not properly trained. 5) The selection process is so corrupt that even criminals with long charge sheets find employment in the police departments. 6) Police stations don't get government funds for their activities in connection to their field operations and even for purchasing stationery. 7) Police don't have swift and sturdy vehicles to purse criminals; 8) Cops don't have modern equipment and laboratories. 9) Police don't have modern weapons to fight the well-armed criminals. 10) Police salaries are very low compared to the lucrative chances they get to enhance their incomes by just allowing crimes to happen.
But when all is said and done, the most important missing link is that there is a total lack of local citizens' supervision over the law enforcing agencies, who can in a flash arrest a Pakistani, even an innocent one, and strip him or her of all his or her fundamental rights and diginity and keep him under custody. No police official high or low is punished for wilfully arresting a free citizen on trumped up or totally false charges.
There should be committees at tehsil and district level of respected citizens comprising retired or working principals of education institutions; president of local bars or their nominees, retired judges, journalists and known social workers. These committees should have the power to inspect police stations, ask for progress in investigation of cases and hold inquiries on applications against police by members of the ordinary public. In case, these committees find any cop or high official guilty; the punishment should be automatic and according to the guilt. These committees should have the right to make suggestions and these should be acted upon. Their recommendation should have teeth and the police official should know that the committees' views can result in their demotions, stoppage of salary, stoppage of annual increment, suspension from job and even dishonourable discharge.
Unless, such citizens committees are formed all over the country, there may be a hundreds such citizens and police centres in the country as the one recently inaugurated in Islamabad but the lawlessness inside the the police stations and outside the police stations will continue.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Pakistan's Citizen & Police Centre: A hoax played too many times
Nobody in Pakistan, not even the citizens of Islamabad will find solace in the news that Islamabad Police has inaugurated a Citizen and Police Centre. Nobody is raising hopes high that after the setting of the centre the police will stop mistreating the poor citizens or favouring the more affluent party in incidents of crimes committed and FIRs filed.
The hoax has been played too many times to fool anybody.
Every major city, district, tehsil and even towns had in the country, some even have now, such committees and centres at one or another time and in spite of that the police arrested the innocent, beat them to pulp and forced them into confessing to crimes that they had not committed. If the arrested men and women were poor and could not bribe the concerned cops or knew nobody influential to back them up, they were, and are, tortured no matter how good the members of a toothless committee to coordinate efforts with police were. The presence of such committees and centres not withstanding; gambling dens, drug trade went on openly, and goes on even now, drug peddlers sell the poison even near police stations. Robberies, thefts, murders, rapes, abductions, batha mafias and the victim businessmen have existed side by side along with such committees and centres. If anything, these bodies are just public relation ploys by the department that wants to thwart any effort of the government in the direction of creating bodies of civilians who can supervise the police department and make sure that the officials stick strictly to the law when dealing with crimes and criminals, as well as the innocent.
From the citizens point of view these committees and centres, even if citizens are included in these, are toothless and cannot put the powerful and corrupt law enforcing agencies on the right path.
As far as Islamabad goes, the suggestions and proposals below are for the consideration of the country's Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar, as he is responsible for the law and order of the capital. We also, nonetheless, request the home ministers of the provinces that if they want to improve the performance of police in their respective provinces, they should also consider our suggestions.
1) We should also take into account that the internal system of discipline has completely failed in all the provincial and capital police departments. 2) The police departments were organised by our British rulers not to serve the people but to intimidate them and force the masses into submission to the government run by the English. We are still clinging to the ancient police system in the impossible hope that the individuals who are part of police will find it in their heart to serve and not torture their fellow citizens. 3) The departments comprise mostly corrupt individuals from top to bottom. 4) Our police is not properly trained. 5) The selection process is so corrupt that even criminals with long charge sheets find employment in the police departments. 6) Police stations don't get government funds for their activities in connection to their field operations and even for purchasing stationery. 7) Police don't have swift and sturdy vehicles to purse criminals; 8) Cops don't have modern equipment and laboratories. 9) Police don't have modern weapons to fight the well-armed criminals. 10) Police salaries are very low compared to the lucrative chances they get to enhance their incomes by just allowing crimes to happen.
But when all is said and done, the most important missing link is that there is a total lack of local citizens' supervision over the law enforcing agencies, who can in a flash arrest a Pakistani, even an innocent one, and strip him or her of all his or her fundamental rights and diginity and keep him under custody. No police official high or low is punished for wilfully arresting a free citizen on trumped up or totally false charges.
There should be committees at tehsil and district level of respected citizens comprising retired or working principals of education institutions; president of local bars or their nominees, retired judges, journalists and known social workers. These committees should have the power to inspect police stations, ask for progress in investigation of cases and hold inquiries on applications against police by members of the ordinary public. In case, these committees find any cop or high official guilty; the punishment should be automatic and according to the guilt. These committees should have the right to make suggestions and these should be acted upon. Their recommendation should have teeth and the police official should know that the committees' views can result in their demotions, stoppage of salary, stoppage of annual increment, suspension from job and even dishonourable discharge.
Unless, such citizens committees are formed all over the country, there may be a hundreds such citizens and police centres in the country as the one recently inaugurated in Islamabad but the lawlessness inside the the police stations and outside the police stations will continue.
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